The Ladies of the Meadow

This semester at my university has been my very favorite so far.  I've always had sweet roommates, but these girls are my dearest friends and full of so much life and Christlike joy.

In Texas, wildflowers are blooming.  Spring is here.

We decided to have a little photo shoot.

You should have seen us trying to fit that white bench into the back of the car.

A few weeks ago, we adopted our darling white rabbits, Obadiah and Boaz.  We decided to bring them along since they are now members of our college family.  The rabbits loved the field of purple wildflowers even more than we did... although they preferred what was green.

Sammy has a wooden statue (I call it an idol, although none of us worships this object or thinks of it with anything other than a confused fondness).  Its name is Daisy and it always finds a way into our photographs and day-to-day lives.

Boaz didn't mind his new found friend.
 

My cousin gave me a doll head for Christmas a few years ago that has an especially creepy feel to it.  Combined with Daisy, we have quite the household.

The funny thing is that our house is nicknamed The Meadow, due to our love for flowers, our spacious backyard, and our four adopted rabbits.

The ladies of The Meadow took photos in the meadow.

The day before Easter is the perfect time for a spring photo shoot.  Bunnies, flowers, and best friends.

These precious ladies love Jesus and it is wonderful to join in celebration with them that Jesus is alive!  He has risen and He is coming again.

Easter is not about the rabbits and eggs, but God created our sweet bunnies.  He painted the wildflowers across the Texas fields like the stroke of a brush.  And He put better friends in my life than I had ever hoped to have.

Kelsey is the photographer among us.  It was her Nikon that took these pictures.  She is one photogenic lady... and Boaz is one photogenic rabbit.

And Sammy.  I have beautiful friends.

I hope you had a wonderful Easter.  We sure did.

One year ago: Books and Orange Juice
Two years ago: She is a leader.
Three years ago: Letter to Little Me

Highlights: Rwanda, Pharisees, and Celebrity Pastors

What inspired me.
Twenty years a survivor... the journey of a Rwandan genocide orphan by Kimberley Cechetto
"What happened wasn't just caused by humans.  People that I know who were really kind changed in just a few days.  Looking at their faces, even as a child, I could see a crazy change.  ...I look at the evil and the cruelty of people at that time and see some of them today looking vulnerable and sad and miserable."

What sparked my interest.
Do Pets Go to Heaven? by T.E. Hanna
Scripture speaks of restoration and resurrection, of all things being made new (of which we are a part), and of a new heaven and a new earth upon which the children of God shall celebrate and enjoy their renewed paradise.

What made me nod.
The Tribes of Rob Bell, Mark Driscoll, John Piper... and Jesus by Stephen Mattson
All of these people claim to love God and say they’re motivated by their love for Jesus. But we often unfairly ignore them — and the amazing things they’re doing — simply because we disagree with a portion of their beliefs.  As Christians, we’re all part of a particular tribe and community. It’s easy to alienate, distrust, and attack those who are beyond our inner circle, but we need to start loving as Christ loved.  This doesn’t mean we blindly accept everything or aren’t allowed to disagree or debate, but it does require us to do these things within the perspective of love.

What convicted me.
What Was a "Pharisee"? (and what might it mean to act like one?) by Chaplain Mike
Who were the Pharisees? There have been many debates in NT studies concerning exactly who the Pharisees were in the time of Second Temple Judaism. Wright’s own broad conclusions are that they were:

• Not a small, insignificant group, but popular and influential in Israel.
• Active in promoting not only their own holiness but also that of other Jews.
• Many of them politically active.

What made me laugh.
Church attendance manual (1): arriving late by Ben Myers
Evangelical: What to do: Stroll in, look around amicably, give somebody a high-five, greet a few people and exchange remarks about sports while you are looking around for a seat. Sit down, put your feet up, and check your phone for messages before joining in the next song.

What made me cry.
We Heart: Fake Magazine Covers That Expose Real Inequality
14 million young girls will be forced into child marriages this year.  In New York City, the average age a girl first falls victim to commercial sexual exploitation is only 13.  An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked into slavery each year, the majority being girls. 

What I wrote.
David's Story
Exhaustion was evident in her eyes as she gathered her youngest children to come outside and meet my dear friend Barbie and me.  We were looking for children that would match with CRF’s sponsorship program: partial or total orphans, children who were in desperate need of support.  Helen’s family sure seemed to fit this description.

Tweets

Ratio of Muslims to Christians in Africa Source: https://t.co/Lsg5CioicT - pic.twitter.com/W6gqonvDxk
— Amazing Maps (@Amazing_Maps) April 5, 2014

Check out this sweet letter that Alfred Bee from Monrovia, Liberia Deaf School sent to his sponsor! pic.twitter.com/XxLqJEjr6u
— CRF (@CRFtweets) April 3, 2014

If at the end of the day I can't embrace someone I'd otherwise detest, I feel like I'm probably getting the gospel wrong.
— Jessica Parks (@jessleighparks) April 3, 2014

1/2 I think maybe a stronghold of anger is among the hardest to recognize in ourselves because we confuse it with righteous indignation.
— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) April 3, 2014

What caught your eye this week?

One year ago: Send Naana to Kenya
Two years ago: She has a servant's heart.
Three years ago: Is the Trinity Biblical?

David's Story

Let me tell you a story about a family living in a small village a few hours outside of Eldoret, Kenya.  It began almost five years ago.

Helen was a widow.

Exhaustion was evident in her eyes as she gathered her youngest children to come outside and meet my dear friend Barbie and me.  We were searching for children that would match with Christian Relief Fund's sponsorship program: partial or total orphans, children who were in desperate need of support.  Helen's family sure seemed to fit this description.

In rural Kenya, many families own small sections of land.  They grow maize and kale to sell and to eat.  Because Helen could not afford fertilizer, her quarter-acre of land was failing.  We had to venture through paths of towering corn in order to reach Helen's mud hut... but her house was placed in the middle of what looked like an empty clearing, shriveled and bare.

 
"Helen's husband died seven years ago," we were told.  I couldn't help but feel confusion.  Helen was the mother of ten children, three under the age of seven.

The truth is, Helen loved her children more than anything else in the world.  She could not bear to watch them starve, so she sold her body in exchange for food.  Prostitution has so many consequences, like the potential to contract HIV/AIDS, but another problem was that Helen continued to become pregnant again and again... and with more mouths to feed, she felt increasingly desperate as she struggled to feed her family.


To read the rest of this story, go to the Christian Relief Fund blog!

One year ago: CURRENTLY
Three years ago: Inspiration

He is Risen

Creation by my lovely roommate and friend, Kelsey

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen!  Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'"  Then they remembered his words.  -Luke 24:1-8

One year ago: 20 Weird Facts About Emily
Two years ago: Trust in the Lord.
Three years ago: Hypnotized Kittens
Four years ago: Poverty: Education

5 Things: Wildflowers and Dust

1.) It's springtime, which means that the wildflowers have come out.  My favorite flower is the bluebonnet, and I'm thankful to attend university in a town where these beautiful flowers blanket the roadsides almost wherever I drive... and sometimes even in my own backyard!

2.) Almost every day, I feel a twinge of homesickness for my hometown.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being in college.  I love my home here, my friends, and my university.  Not a day goes by (except maybe during finals week) when I don't thank God for letting me go to school in such a beautiful, friendly place!

But I love my family and friends back home so much too, so I always have a feeling of being torn between two beautiful places.

Not this week.

Severe dust storms hit during the spring.  My Facebook feed is often covered with shocking photos of the sepia-toned sky.

Photo credit to NewsChannel10

On days like that, I am thankful for the rainy spring weather and blooming flowers in my college town.

3.) My sponsored son, David, used to be the coolest four-year-old on the planet.  He lost that title when he became... the coolest five-year-old!  Happy birthday, sweet boy.

4.) My house has a "Kenya Corner."  In that corner is our "David Jar."  (My roommates and I like to name things.)  We are trying to save a little money to buy David's family a pair of goats.  Goats are huge to help the status of a family in an impoverished country.  They provide milk, meat, and they have babies that the family can sell.

Usually I put my pocket change in the jar at the end of the week, if I have any.  Recently my roommates made a rule.  Kelsey and Kendall love chocolate (Sammy and I do not), and to get ready for summer, they have committed to eating only one piece of chocolate each day.  Any more and they must put a dollar in the David Jar.

It looks like David is will get his goats in no time!

5.) It's been a while since I've shared a picture of Jack.  One of the saddest parts of being away at college for months at a time is not having dogs to come home to at the end of the day. 

What's been on your mind?

Three years ago: That glimmer of hope

The Twins

My household is in love with our two little bunnies, Obadiah and Boaz.

It's funny because when Sammy and I first got the two from the same litter, we weren't sure how we would ever be able to tell them apart.  They're both small and fluffy, with white fur other than their gray noses, tails, and ears.

But then we got to know them.

By the end of that very first night, everyone could tell the twins apart at first glance.

Obie and Boaz have vastly different personalities; Obie is calm and laid-back while Boaz is adventurous and energetic.  Boaz is also significantly chubbier than his brother.

It has also been a joy to watch them socialize to our "family" of college students... and all of the visitors that come over just to meet our new babies.  At first, the rabbits would tolerate our presence with some degree of nervousness, stiffening while we held them and stroked their soft fur.  Now they come to us happily on their own and fall asleep in our arms.  Obadiah will even fall asleep on his back with his little legs sticking straight up in the air.

And that is probably more than you ever wanted to know about my pet rabbits.  But in case you were wondering, they are happy, healthy, and living the good life.

Two years ago: Cherished

Obadiah and Boaz: Bunny Adoption

A few days ago, Sammy and I were having our weekly Bible study over Revelation.  Pausing on a question, I rested my eyes out our glass back door to look at our green backyard.  "You know what would be perfect?" I said wistfully.  "Bunnies."

Sammy glanced up at me from her Bible page.  "Bunnies?"

"I wish we had happy, friendly rabbits frolicking in our backyard."

There is a reason why Sammy is my best friend; we very much appreciate the spontaneity in each other.  "Kelsey," Sammy called out to another of our roommates who was cooking in the other room, "would you be opposed to bunnies living in our backyard?"

"I would be down for that," Kelsey replied in a casual voice.  She thought we were joking at first, but we took her acceptance in stride, finished our study, and began packing our things to go to Petco.  I pulled up a few pages from the internet about how to keep bunnies outside safely and we were ready to head out the door.

Kelsey started laughing as we grabbed our keys to leave.  "Wait, this is actually happening?"

"We'll be back later with bunnies," we declared.

We ended up driving an hour to adopt two bunnies from a family.

Meet Boaz and Obadiah.

When we arrived at home proudly carrying our new children, Kelsey and Kendall burst into laughter.  "I truly didn't think you would be able to find rabbits anywhere!" Kelsey admitted.  She underestimated our determination (it took us a few hours).  Despite her amazement, she was thrilled and pronounced herself their third mother.

A few guy friends came over to surprise us with cookies.  They were delighted to find the new additions to our household.  Cuddles all around.

Joel even sang to Obie and read him passages from the book of Obadiah, his namesake.

Our rabbits have a sturdy fence, a shelter for nighttime, plenty of food, and a whole lot of love.  My dream came true: our backyard is now a home for frolicking, healthy, happy bunnies.

Introducing them to the backyard was so much fun.  Our rabbits had lived in a small cage with several others for the entirety of their lives (a few weeks).  We don't think they had ever set foot in the grass.  As soon as we put them down in the yard, they began leaping high up in the air, frolicking (truly, it is the best word to describe the way they were dancing and moving), and nibbling on plants.  We sat with our backs against the brick wall of our house and watched them play, and after about twenty minutes, they crawled back into our laps before venturing out again into the great joy of the yard.

And that's how a Revelation Bible study turned into a day of bunny adoption.

Also... this is my 1000th blog post.  How long have you been reading?

Two years ago: She is like a ruby.
Three years ago: 5 weird things about being a senior
Four years ago: Featured Artist: B. Reith

When the Gospel Calls for Tangible Compassion

In Luke 4:18, Jesus declared that He had come to "preach good news to the poor."  He was fulfilling the prophecy from Isaiah 61, which says, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners..." 

I grew up in the Bible Belt of Texas, surrounded by church camps and Sunday school and a Christian bubble so impenetrable that it may as well have been made of iron.  There were great benefits to this, such as receiving a strong foundation in my faith, as well as Biblical knowledge that has helped me so much in my personal growth with the Lord.  But there were also limitations to living in the Bible Belt.  "Sharing the gospel" often meant something along the lines of going to the park and talking to neighborhood kids, giving away tracts, and altar calls.  As a young Christian, I understood sharing my faith in less of a discipleship context and more of a "Here is what Jesus did for you; want to pray the prayer now?" context.

I found my faith in Jesus over the summer before I entered high school, and people continually asked me afterward to reduce my experience to a single prayer.  "I understand you know Jesus now, but when did you pray the prayer?"

Looking back, I cannot recall the single prayer or instant when I became saved.  I realize there was an ultimate decision that was made at some point during that summer; I just don't know when.  However, I can clearly remember a transformation in my thoughts, actions, and heart.  I was no longer my own.  I felt both the freedom and calling that came along with that revelation.  Joining the kingdom of God did not come down to a simple recitation or a repeated prayer for me personally, but it changed every aspect of my life, and everything I once valued above all else was turned upside down.

"Good news" was a term I heard over and over again growing up.  Jesus is the Good News, and this is true.  But placing a "Good News! Good News!" tract in the hand of a hungry homeless man on a street corner before hopping back in my air-conditioned car and driving away felt a lot less joy-inspiring than expected.

In forgotten corners and impoverished places, good news can be hard to find.

The United Nations Development Programme reported in 2008 that there are three billion people living in poverty.  Half the planet.  What good news has the hands and feet of Christ brought them?  What gospel has the 147 million orphans in the world yet seen?

Good news comes from Christ alone, yes!  But He has commanded His Body to break chains of slavery, to feed the hungry in His name, and to live out our faith with actions and not only words.

Richard Stearns said, "Christianity is a faith that is meant to be spread- but not through coercion.  God's love was intended to be demonstrated, not dictated.  Our job is not to manipulate or induce others to agree with us or to leave their religion and embrace Christianity.  Our charge is to both proclaim and embody the gospel so that others can see, hear, and feel God's love in tangible ways."

The gospel that is all too often embraced in my Christian, American, comfortable community is missing a chunk of Christ's call to bring good news to the poor.  In Matthew 6, Jesus tells His disciples how we ought to pray.  In verse 10, He prays, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  We are not only winning souls for heaven.  The kingdom of God is eternal, but it is also right here, right now.  We have been called to extend revolutionary love and mercy to the earth.

Let us allow the poor to experience the gospel through tangible compassion along with spoken truth of what Christ did for them.

I want to share my faith in boldness and in truth.  I want to proclaim from the mountaintops that my Savior loves unconditionally and paid the price for our sins.  But I also want to live the gospel.  I want to preach with my hands and feet, with all that I am.

In my own town, I don't just want to stand on the corner and share my faith; I want to live alongside people and love without condition.  I pray that they will see the good news of Christ through how I live just as clearly as they hear about Him from what I say.  And when I go to the nations, I want to bring good news with my actions just as much as with my words.

Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, serving the widow and the orphan.  This is demonstrating the good news of Christ's radical love.

Let's share the gospel with both words and action.  Let's bring good news.

"If the gospel we preach is not first and foremost good news to the poor, then it isn't the gospel of Jesus." -Brian McLaren

Two years ago: My Letter Box
Three years ago: Are you alive?

Orphan Sunday: Danny

The first Sunday of the month, I advocate for an orphan with special needs who is waiting for a family.  Please consider supporting this child by committing to pray for them, sharing their story, or donating to their adoption fund through Reece's Rainbow.

Danny is running out of time.

In his country, when orphans turn fourteen, they are no longer eligible for adoption.  Danny is thirteen, and his birthday is in August of this year.  There are only five months left for Danny to find a family... and it's not yet too late.  

Danny's special needs have not inhibited him from living life with joy and determination.  He is deaf and has Hepatitis B, but these things do not hold him back.  They have created a strong and resilient young man.  Danny can understand some sign language and he reads lips well.  He is very smart and would be able to learn American Sign Language if his family took the time to learn with him. 

Danny was placed in an orphanage when he was ten years old, but because of his deafness, he was sent to live with a foster family.  Right now, he is adjusting to life with this foster family, but after his next birthday, his future is uncertain.  His teachers describe him as very clever, obstinate, and outgoing.

A family will transform Danny's life forever and open up new doors of communication, education, and love for him.  He only has five months before his time to be adopted runs out. 

Older adoptions are rare, but Danny is looking for a family.  Let's rise up together and pray that a family comes for him.  

One year ago: The Lover's Note
Two years ago: All About Color
Three years ago: I wish I was a computer nerd
Four years ago: Poverty: The Ripped Bible

Highlights: World Vision, WBC, and Noah

World Vision blew up my social media during the last few weeks.  I saw a lot of reactions from both sides that struck me with grief.  So much hatred being flung back and forth between members of one faith.  But here are a few blog posts that made me think and that gave me hope.

Jen Hatmaker shared from a conservative, evangelical perspective that was the only blog post I've seen that I can fully nod my head and say, "YES."  In fact, I broke down in tears when I read this, after a long couple of weeks of reading extreme points of view that left me stricken with grief for my precious Church body.

Where I Stand by Jen Hatmaker 
We need more outliers willing to pick up the bloodied and beaten gay community and bind up their wounds with oil and wine, religious approval aside. We need generous and faithful neighbors who stop and say I see you and I see your pain and I care. We need agents of healing over agents of judgment, because if God’s kindness leads us to repentance, who are we to offer anything less? This will come at a personal cost, just like it did the Good Samaritan, but it is the right thing to do. The hard, right thing to do.

On the other end of the spectrum, here is the most personally convicting post I read, by Ben Moberg.  Whether or not you agree with his beliefs, he makes some excellent point about the priorities of the Church.  This was another one of those posts that made me deeply emotional.

When Evangelicals Turn Against Children to Spite Me by Benjamin Moberg
I’ve been sitting in a swell of sad for a couple hours, because this is what I’m hearing: No, you aren’t even worthy to serve hungry children. You are so deeply unwanted that I will let a child die if it keeps you away from me. From us. From the body of Christ. I will spare no life if it keeps you far away.

Even if I don't agree with everything Brandan Robertson says in this article, but it did make me sit and think for a long time.  He made some excellent points and what he has to say is very much worth a read.

World Vision and the Sad State of American Evangelicalism by Brandan Robertson
The harshest warning that Jesus ever gave was not to those who believed or stood for the wrong things.  No, rather, Jesus' harshest warning was given to those who stood for all of the right beliefs but neglected the one sacrifice that God requires of humankind: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)

Favorite Tweets

I'm going to see Noah. Is it accurate? No. But neither is this.. pic.twitter.com/QcHQxwTGKM
— Scott Johnson (@PScottJohnson) March 29, 2014

Westboro Baptist Church members picketing a Lorde concert in KC were met with this sign: pic.twitter.com/CCZBKzWFwk @brendalissg
— Neetzan Zimmerman (@neetzan) March 22, 2014

it's the first day of spring! you can find me running through a field of wild flowers singing 'oceans'
— Christian Hipster (@ChristnHipster) March 20, 2014

One year ago: Goals for April
Three years ago: Applying for Universities and Scholarships
Four years ago: 20 Worship Songs